Review of Cobalt flight from Larnaca to Athens in Economy

FCB

CO - Cobalt

Flight taken on 02 August 2016
CO732
18:55 01h 45m 20:40
Model Airbus A320
Class Economy
Seat 23F
flyLWA
1,651 · 30 · 2 · 2

Background:
I had been living in Athens for 2 years and before heading back home I wanted to visit some destinations which are easier to reach from Greece than from my own country. Among some Greek islands, Lebanon and Cyprus were also on the list.
Besides visiting a new destination, as usual, I also wanted to try some new airlines and the ATH-LCA route offered a good choice: Aegean and Emirates (not new to me) and Blueair and Cobalt.
So I booked the outbound flight with the Romanian airline and the inbound with the Cypriot.
Cobalt is a new low cost airline in Cyprus which started operations last July flying from LCA to Greece, UK and Ireland.
I was a bit reluctant to fly with them, because when I bought the ticket they were not even flying yet, and the start of operations might be delayed, etc… but as I have worked myself for 2 start up airlines I wanted to give them some credit.
2 weeks before flying over there, Cobalt was in the news due to long delays, apparently there was a delay in bringing their second aircraft and they had to wet lease a portuguese 320 from Everjets.
I was then starting to panick, will I have to suffer a long delay or fly with the wet leased aircraft??? Keep reading to find out :)
The airport:
LCA terminal is a new and compact building and it is very easy to find your way around.


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On arrival I spotted both the Cobalt and Everjets aircraft parked on a remote stand…..I still don´t know which one will take me home….
Check-in:
Cobalt offered web check.in, but no seat selection, not even for a fee.
I was automatically assigned a window seat in the center of the aircraft, I will try to change the seat at the airport.


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Cobalt had their own designated check-in area well branded with several totems, there were not many people in line, and soon after I got another window seat at the back of the aircraft.


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Security checks were not crowded either and in a matter of seconds I was airside, ready to explore a new terminal and its lounge.
I really liked this little terminal which has a lot of natural light.


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Today´s departures:


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My flight still on time, but I still don´t know which aircraft will fly me home today….
The lounge:


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I visited the Swissport lounge, which was very quiet today.


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Food and drinks selection:


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Boarding:
Boarding was on time and by bus, so I will not know if I will fy the Cobalt metal until the very last moment….
It seems it´s my lucky day :)


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On board:
We were greated by a very smiling flight attendant and I went straight to my seat.


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The cabin was clean but looked a little bit outdated.


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Legroom shot:


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All signs both in Greek and English:


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I do not like when an airline gets a new plane and they do not change the language of these signs.
I have flown so many airplanes around the world displaying an ´EXIT-SALIDA´sign :)
The reading material:


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Safety card, Buy on board menu and a random magazine, which I didn´t even bother to read.


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Food offering:


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I didn´t buy anything, as I already helped myself at the lounge….
Flight was uneventful, and outside it was getting dark as we were approaching ATH:


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Contenu masqué : Cliquez pour afficher

Cyprus is a nice holiday destination, though distances are very long, forget here about your average Greek or Spanish island, this is a country itself and you will need a lot of time in order to visit all.
I was here on a short 3 day break and visited some cities, ancient sites and beaches.


Display all

Product ratings

Airline

Cobalt 6.5

  • Cabin7.0 / 10
  • Cabin crew9.0 / 10
  • Entertainment/wifi5.0 / 10
  • Buy-on-board menu5.0 / 10
Lounge

Swissport Lounge6.4

  • Comfort7.0 / 10
  • Meal/catering6.5 / 10
  • Entertainment/wifi5.0 / 10
  • Services7.0 / 10
Departure airport

Larnaca - LCA7.5

  • Efficiency7.5 / 10
  • Access7.5 / 10
  • Services7.5 / 10
  • Cleanliness7.5 / 10
Arrival Airport

Athens - ATH7.0

  • Efficiency7.0 / 10
  • Access7.0 / 10
  • Services7.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness7.0 / 10

Conclusion

Cobalt did not deceive, although being a brand new airline that has been in operation for just a month, it provided an on time flight with a very smiling crew.
They will need to improve on the online check in process, but I would definitely fly with them again.
They have already added new aircraft and new destinations and I wish them a long succesful journey.

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Comments (2)

  • Thank you for sharing the first ever report on the new CO, I little bit sad that they took the old Continental IATA code ;(

    Not a bad showing by CO. I see your point that the cabin looks dated with those old, fluffy fabric seats, but at least they were clean. Pitch isn't that bad for being a LCC. The tail design reminds me a lot of B6.

    They probably were just as good as A3 on a route like this, taking them all the way to the UK, that may be a different story....

    Very nice bonus of Cyprus at the end!

    Thanks again!

    • Thanks for the compliments!

      I agree with you, flying to Greece with them is about the same as A3 without the snack, though!

      If I had to fly to the UK, I'd rather fly with BA and their 767, although I'm not sure if they will still offer a meal after Jan'17...

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